Life of a stranger
by midnight darkness2012
Summary: Has Been Rewritten. Riddick has fought and killed the necromongers, but he lost something too important to him, Kyra. Blowing up the rest of the ships of necros, but he cant get those bright green eyes out of his head. ghosts of the past haunts, Riddick thinks of giving up his own life until someone saves his life again, saves the life of a stranger.
1. Drowning Ghosts

_*Disclaimer* I do not own the song dream of you by schiller_

**Chapter one drowning ghosts**

(Riddick's voice)

_It has been three years. Three lousy years and she haunts me still, I cant get her out of my mind. Those green eyes skull fucks me every minute I close my eyes. Kyra. That fucking kid, I left her with the holy man so she didn't wind up dead, thought she would've taken the hint of tryin' to have a real life, a free life. Didn't think she would be stupid enough to sign on with mercs and get her ass sent to a slam. _

_Then when I try to save her ass, she jumps ships with the necros. In the end she died for me, just like Fry. The universe doesn't want me to rejoin the human race. The two people who ever saw something in me worth saving are dead. They both died for me. The one stranger who saved my life and got me hooked on her like some kind of drug, I got addicted and she winds up dying for me. _

_(Riddick dreaming) _

_Beautiful woman's voice humming in the background, slowly he wakes up to a dim lit room, only light coming through thin curtains, Riddick stares at the ceiling, wearing just his cargo pants, checking out his surroundings, he is in the room that the holy man had given him for his stay. _

_(song: Dream of you by schiller)_

**_I've been here all the time_**

**_As far as I know doing right_**

_Slowly Riddick got up and walked to the window and stared out, wondering why he was here. _

**_I've always waited for the moment _**

**_That you would come through my door_**

_Slowly the door opened, a girl, early 20s, in a white silk nighty that reached her knees and had a low neck with thin straps came in. _

_"__Did you have another nightmare again Jack?" Riddick turning his head, her hair was dark, long, and beach wavy. _

**_But this brought loneliness so far _**

**_I lay my hand onto my heart_**

**_Is this the life I want to live?_**

**_Is this the dream I had of you?_**

_A grown up Jack made her way over to him. He closed his eyes, taking in her scent, she smelt like Jack but her scent had grown spicy with her growing up. _

_"__This is what should have been real. You should be alive right now." Riddick's voice holding anger as his large hands balled into tight fists._

**_But this brought loneliness so far_**

**_I lay my hand onto my heart _**

**_Is this the life I want to live _**

**_Is this the dream I had of you?_**

_He felt her so close behind him that he could feel her giving off her body heat. Her smaller hand started to touch his big strong back, caressing all the scars gently, _

_"__Jack, you can't just keep doing this. You have no idea how much I hurt because of you and I will have to suffer this life punishment because you died for me. Wasn't supposed to go down this way!" Riddick growled out as she was peppering his scars with kisses from her soft lips. _

**_The dream I had of you_**

_"__Look at me Riddick, please?" Jack's voice begging, _

_"__I can't face you anymore. Jack you were beautiful, that kind, your kind of beautiful, it… you shouldn't have sacrificed your life for mine. I'm not worth it, I wasn't worth it." Riddick seething, he wanted to pull away, there was no lesson to learn in having to go through a dream haunting him like this. He tried to move, but he was frozen in place, his furyan mark was warming and tingling on his chest, it was glowing faintly. Jack walked in front of him, _

_"__Riddick, you are worth it. You are everything to me." Jack's hand caressing his cheek, he looked pissed as hell, she wasn't afraid, his Jack had always idolized him as a child and came to him for protection from her nightmares. Slowly she leaned forward gently pressing her lips, such soft lips, to his. Riddick kissed her back with hunger, knowing he would never get the chance to for real, he wanting and wishing she were real, warm, and breathing, standing beside him. _

_His hand came up to her soft delicate hand that still caressed his cheek, he curled his fingers around her hand and brought her palm to his lips and kissed it and then pressed his forehead against hers. _

_"__You're not real Jack, you died in my arms because I couldn't protect you." Riddick growled, _

_"__No Riddick, I am alive, I survived it all in hopes you would come back to me. I survived because your life is worth it, to live for you. Come lay with me just until we fall asleep?" Jack leading him, by the hand she still held, to the bed, she crawled into bed, he laid down by her, _

_"__I love you Riddick, promise me you will come back for me." Jack's eyes shining with such happiness. _

_"__Promise Jack, get some sleep." Riddick gently petting her black wavy long hair. She cuddled into his side, he saw something glowing on her chest, he couldn't make out what it was. He held her head to his chest, _

_"__I've always loved your smell." Jack softly whispered. _

_"__Sleep, I'll protect you better this time." Riddick couldn't take his eyes off of her._

**_Now I'm standing here alone _**

**_I'm waiting on my own _**

**_For something that will fill _**

**_The emptiness inside _**

**_The moment that you're mine_**

_Slowly Jack's body started to fade away. He closed his eyes, his arm tightening around her as if he could keep her with him, his heart being crushed even more. _

**_But this is loneliness I know _**

**_I lay my hand onto my soul _**

**_Is this what life has got to give? _**

**_Is this the dream I had of you?_**

**_The dream I had of you _**

Slowly opening his eyes, mercury slits looked out at the approaching planet, he rubbed his face, everything was dull without those bright green eyes, all the beauty in life had died when she died.

"Damn it Jack, you were supposed to be safe! Fuck kid, gotta stop haunting me!?" Riddick punching the hull of the ship hard, he held the bridge of his nose and clenched his eyes shut, a lone tear slowly making a salty trail down his cheek, sparkling in the faint glow of the control panels. He needed to drown his sorrows in drink and women. Life was easier when he wasn't apart of the human race.

When he wasn't known as a little kid's hero. He was a con, he murdered people, it was either him or them, survival of the fittest and he had grown what? A conscience? A heart? Compassion?

"State the purpose of your visit." the man radioed from the port, Riddick stared blankly at the incoming port,

"I repeat, state the purpose of your visit." the man's voice finally getting through to Riddick. Riddick cleared his throat,

"For pleasure." Riddick radioed back.

"You have come to the right planet! Dock 3-8-9 is open. Enjoy your stay!" the man chuckled. Riddick docked his ship, he shut everything down, he put in his icy blue eye contacts and tied back his shoulder length black hair.

"Lets go drown some ghosts." Riddick on a mission as he left the ship, locking it up tightly and headed up and out of the port. He had no idea his animal side had set the coordinates to another ghost in his life; New Mecca.

**Cronus **

He found a couple of watering holes but the best looking women crowd was at a club called The Lions Den. He started out at the bar,

"The strong stuff boss." Riddick throwing down some creds,

"The name's Damien, locals call me Serge, did some time in the military. What kind of sorrows are ya drowning tonight big man?" the guy behind the bar asked as he showed Riddick whiskey and Exitus Absinthe. He pointed to the whiskey,

"Lets start with the whiskey. The name's Byron and its more of drowning the past three years." Riddick seriously as he rubbed his face.

"I hear that. Three years ago to the day Necromongers blew into town and destroyed a lot of it." Damien explained.

"So, looks like the town got put together quickly and back on its feet." Riddick drinking his whiskey.

"New Mecca, and yeah…" he was interrupted by Riddick spewing his mouth full of whiskey out.

"What did you just say?" Riddick cocking his head at an angle,

"Wait, you don't know what planet you landed on? Yeah this used to be New Mecca, it got renamed as Cronus. The only way this place came together like it did was with the help of a local, poor kid. She lost her whole family to the Necros and needed to drown her sorrows in something so she worked constantly on building this place back. She was left for dead in one of the alleys, blinded, cut up pretty bad, or at least someone did it.

She doesn't remember much about the night, just that it was pouring rain. She was found getting to her feet and leaning against one of the crumbling walls of a building. That woman has some survival skills that's for sure. The people that could ran for the underground vault, I guess she was trying to go back to save her family." Damien helping another customer.

_~What are the odds of me winding up here of all places? ~_ Riddick thought to himself as he rubbed his chest, his furyan mark was heating up.

Meanwhile said woman was trying to sleep,

_Mercury swirling pools were smiling at her, hands caressing her body, large hands. Kisses of fire crawling along her body, trying to consume her alive. Raw, passion, want, need… _

Mercury eyes shot open, breathe ragged and panting. She slid her fingers through her hair, her hand slipping to her chest trying to will her heart to calm.

"Fuck, what the hell!" she growled out with sexual frustration, she grabbed the clock, she rubbed her face,

"Might as well." the woman grumbled, she got up, laid out a sparkly red halter top and a skirt to match with comfortable flats and took a shower. Her furyan mark almost warmed her, like a fluttering of a heartbeat.

_~What the hell was that? ~ _the woman looking down at her mark, there was a faint glow.

_~ I wonder if there's a furyan nearby. ~_ she thought to herself. Soon she finished with her shower, wrapped a towel around her waist and threw a towel around her black beach waved long hair. With the lights at ten percent she managed to put her green contacts in, she then turned the lights at 50 % and finished toweling off, very sparsely she put her Jasmine perfume on.

Going to her room she threw on her club outfit and shoes, her leather wrist bracers were then donned. She went back to the bathroom and checked her hair and put some extra hold foam hair product in it to give her beach wavy hair some bounce and firmness. Lightly applying eye makeup and cherry gloss to her lips, she cut the bathroom light off and finished in her room with her hidden blades.


	2. Danger Comes

**Growing up on New Mecca (3 Years Earlier)**

She grew up well, she had been given a good father figure and a mother soon came along with a little sister, but she missed someone very important to her. That big old ape who had saved her so long ago, he had even killed for her. Jack was on a mission now. She had completed high school with high honors but the one person she wanted to see her walk across that stage wasn't there; Riddick.

Jack had gotten her pilot's license somewhere in between Riddick leaving her and completing high school and now 20 years old. She felt it in her bones, a new danger was coming, she didn't know when, but it was coming to New Mecca and she couldn't fight it without Riddick. She didn't know how to find a con who didn't want to be found, but she had to try, he had left a mark on her, and it simply wouldn't go away. She jumped in her ship and started with the slams. Jack had checked out two of the topmost dangerous slams there were, nothing. She was paying attention to the body language of the people running the slams and now knew she was on their radar. Jack was now on her flight back home, trying to figure out a new plan of trying to find someone who didn't want to be found.

"I don't even know what name he is going by now or what he might look like." Jack running her fingers through her black long wavy hair. She hacked into other slams on her way back to New Mecca, scanning each conman's picture to see if any looked like Riddick, nothing.

"Damn it, why did you have to leave me!?" Jack punching her punching bag in her gym on her ship. She was so frustrated, she just kept punching the bag until her knuckles were bleeding and silent tears running down her cheeks. She let out an ear-piercing scream as she dropped to her knees, hugging the bottom of the punching bag. She knew she mattered to him, but he wasn't there to see her great accomplishments. Now she was afraid, she was afraid of this new threat, she didn't have her hero, no one to help her fight these new monsters that she knew were coming.

"RIDDICK!?" Jack screamed out into an empty ship, she curled into a ball and started to shake.

"I can't fight them by myself." Jack feeling like the little kid who would run into his room, seeking protection from her nightmares of the hammerheads that were still out for her blood. She held the shiv he had left her, it was the only protection, the only piece she had left of him. Jack had to steel herself, she at least had to try to protect her family, or she would die trying. Her ship alerted her to coming into New Mecca, she closed her eyes, slowly she dragged herself into a sitting position, dried her face as she looked at her shiv, she always kept it close and razor sharp.

"Fuck you Riddick." Jack snarled as she stood with a tight grip on the well-balanced shiv by her side, slowly she walked out of the gym and up to the pilot's chair. She pulled into her dock but she saw weird looking ships hovering, there were three of them.

"Imam." Jack whispered, three huge ships like those, she knew she didn't have a leg to stand on but she had to try, Riddick had given her a family, she couldn't leave them, this was her fight, and Riddick had made it her fight when he left her with Imam. She shut her ship down, turned the invisible shield on so it wouldn't be seen, her grip on her shiv tightened as she grabbed two more shivs, placing one in the small of her back and having the other blade in her hand. It was rounded and had three blades, it was meant to be thrown like a frisbee, cutting down everything in its path as it flew.

"I'm coming Imam." Jack steeling her nerves as she ran off her ship and into the shadows in the storming weather. She made it halfway home when she stumbled onto trouble in an alley. Pouring rain made it harder to fight in, she was good with blades but whatever she was fighting had brute strength, but she didn't go down without fighting tooth and nail.

**Forty-five minutes later**

Jack sucked in air, she had never felt pain like this before, she couldn't see but she had her blades still in her hands as she fought to drag herself very carefully out of the alley, being careful to make sure the threat was gone. When she got to the end of the alley she felt the open air. She was trying to catch her breathe as she sat against a crumbling wall, she closed her eyes. She couldn't focus on her pain, she could feel that there was skin detached from her body and when she breathed, it didn't feel like it was filling her lungs, something was very wrong.

"Jack, come on, I've got you. Don't give up on me Jack." a voice entered her ears, she hurt so bad that she mistook the voice belonging to Riddick. That's when she fought to hang on. Jack could feel herself being carried to a some sort of a vehicle, she knew Riddick was alive, she had to keep fighting for him, she was so sure she would see him again, and he was worth living for. Riddick in her eyes were worth going through this pain as long as she lived, she would see him again. A local bar owner had gotten her to a med bay on his ship, he kept giving her breath. The AI system stitched her up and healed the internal problems and the bar owner had even made synthetic skin from her own DNA and fixed her scars as she fought to live.


	3. memories

***disclaimer to the song Fantasy by Nadia Ali***

The bar owner had done everything humanly and computerized possible to save Jack, but she had slipped into a coma, now it was just a waiting game. No brain damage, just her eyes, that had looked like acid was poured or sprayed on them from her temple to temple.

Jack had slipped into a dream of the past when Riddick had stayed with them and when they were on his ship.

**_How do you always know what I will say?_**

**_You seem to know me in the clearest way_**

_"__So, what do we tell them about you?" Jack, a ten-year-old kid asked the big con she had idolized. _

_"__Tell 'em I died somewhere on that planet." Riddick spoke clearly. Jack leaned back in the copilot chair and sighed, he put his hand on her shoulder, _

_"__Get some sleep kid." Riddick commanded._

(Scene switch)

_She had had a nightmare of those monsters and it was the first time she had snuck into Riddick's room at the holy man's house. Carefully she had closed his door and leaned against it, she slid down to the floor, trying to be quiet with her labored breathing. Riddick could smell the cold sweat pouring from the kid, he sat up and turned those mercury silver orbs in her direction. Jack looked at him, only seeing those eyes and a faint outline of his upper body, he was gorgeous. _

_"__The monsters after you kid?" Riddick asked in a low voice, she subconsciously licked her dry lips, _

**_I want to run and hide_**

**_Keep you from finding me _**

**_You shouldn't see what is my mystery_**

_"__Yeah." Jack sighed, Riddick simply held up the covers, inviting her into his bed, no more questions asked, slowly she got up and walked over to him and crawled into bed. He could feel her little body shake, she snuggled up against him, he put an arm under her pillow and it curled around her back as she faced him, his other arm wrapped around her small waist, pulling her closer to him. _

_"__I've got you kid, you are safe." Riddick breathing her in as they fell asleep_.

(Scene Switch)

_Jack was reaching for a glass in the cabinet Riddick had came up behind her and leaned against her back and got the glass for her. _

_"__Thanks." Jack mumbled, _

_"__Sure, breakfast is on the table." Riddick walking away. She stared at the glass, he turned to look at her, _

_"__Jack?" Riddick staring at her back, _

_"__Don't leave me." Jack whispered; he knew it had to be because of her nightmares. He came up behind her, he moved his huge hands to her shoulders and moved them down both of her arms, she closed her eyes, his arms, that was safety. What would she do when he left her? _

_"__Can't stay Jack, you know that." Riddick resting his chin on top of her head, he pulled a shiv out, he had made it himself, just for her. He slipped the hilt of the shiv into her palm. _

_"__Its to protect your ass when I'm gone. I'll show you how to use it before I leave. You are safe here Jack." Riddick mumbled in her ear. A lone tear rolled down her face, she nodded silently, they walked over to the table and had breakfast. _

(Scene switch)

_Riddick was out in Imam's fenced in backyard and he was showing Jack moves with the shiv, _

_"__You need to work out and eat right and you'll get that strength, you gotta follow through with the blade every time." Riddick showing her different strikes, Jack imitated his moves, he smirked, _

**_But with the timing right_**

**_It could be paradise_**

_"__You're a quick learner." Riddick giving her a nod. _

_"__I got a good teacher." Jack giving him a small smile. _

_"__Three days of training Jack. You will be able to protect yourself." Riddick explaining in his own way that he would leave in three days. _

_"__Not that day please." Jack begged, Riddick raised a brow, _

_"__It's a good of a day as any other." Riddick shrugged, Jack was quiet, she looked down at the shiv, _

_"__Jack, give me a good reason not to leave on that day." Riddick raising her chin, she stared into his goggles,_

_"__Its my birthday." Jack quietly explained. Riddick stared into her eyes, he nods, _

_"__I will leave the day after." Riddick giving her a smirk. Jack's eyes were glossy, _

_"__The day after." Jack nodded._

**_To do this now _**

**_Would not be right_**

(Scene Switch)

_Jack was crawling in his bed and curling up to him again, _

_"__Jack." Riddick knowing how painful for her that he was leaving. _

_"__Just give me this, please." Jack whispered, he nodded, again wrapping her in her safety net of his huge arms. Every time those big beefy arms wrapped around her, she melted into him, all her fears and worry just melted away_.

(Scene Switch)

_It was now her birthday. Riddick and Imam had set up the whole surprise party for her, mainly Imam since Riddick didn't know about birthday parties. Riddick had made another shiv for her, this one had Riddick's initials and Jack's initials engraved into the hammerhead bone handle. _

_"__Your training has come along well kid." Riddick explained,_

_"__Thanks Riddick, for everything you did for me." Jack hugging him. Riddick hugged her back, holding onto her for a few minutes. _

_"__Couldn't feed ya to the monsters Jack." Riddick pulling away. That night Jack again came to his room and crawled under the covers. _

_"__You have to know before you leave me forever…" Jack being interrupted,_

_"__I'm sure we'll bump into each other again. I'll come back and see how well you grew up." Riddick giving her a crooked smile, _

_"__Don't make a promise like that if you don't intend to keep it." Jack's brow etched in pain as her voice dripped with sadness. Riddick put his hand to her cheek as those mercury silver eyes stared into her eyes, _

_"__I promise I will come back Jack." Riddick spoke clearly in his deep commanding baritone voice._

_"__You are loved, I love you Riddick. Don't ever forget that." Jack seriously explained as she choked on her tears. Riddick stared at her, he opened his mouth to say something, Jack hugged him, her lips next to his ear, _

_"__You are worth it, never think you're not." Jack curled into him. _

**_I was just fine yes I was fine I thought _**

**_I didn't think that I would get so lost _**

_"__Why do you think I have to go? You are cared for a great deal Jack. Get some sleep kid." Riddick wrapping his arms around her to shield her from the monsters that threaten to eat her alive. _

_"__Don't forget me." Jack mumbled into his naked chest,_

_"__Never Jack." Riddick's eyes closing as her tears soaked his chest. Jack fell asleep, but when morning was gone, she woke up shivering, looking by her side he was long gone. _

**_To have and not to hold _**

**_And to pretend I'm cold _**

**_It tis a lie _**

**_Because I melt every time _**


	4. Getting back on her feet

When Jack came out of her coma, she was all healed but sore from laying in the bed for three months. The bar owner had heard her heartbeat pick up speed and woke up from his chair. He carefully removed her breathing tube and got her some fresh water.

"Hi Jack." a voice ranging out in her ears, she turned her head in the direction of the voice,

"Damien." Jack sounding disappointed,

"Yeah, expecting someone else?" Damien asked, she felt the bed dip a little,

"What happened to me? Where am I?" Jack's voice all raspy and scratchy.

"Necros hit us pretty hard. Don't know who cut you up but they did a number on you. You're on my ship, I got ya here just in time too." Damien seriously,

"How long have I been out?" Jack still disoriented and confused, Damien sat on the edge of her bed, he rubbed his face,

"How long?" Jack growled,

"Roughly three months." Damien turning his head to look at her,

"Damien, what aren't you telling me?" Jack knowing just by the sound of his voice that he was keeping something from her.

"You're not ready for it." Damien seriously,

"You fuckin' tell me right now." Jack fighting to sit up.

"Jack, you have been blinded." Damien seriously,

"I don't care about that, tell me everything." Jack growled out.

"The holy man, his wife and kid, they…" Damien being interrupted,

"No, they can't be. They hid, Imam would have hidden them, they can't be!?" Jack freaking out. Damien held her,

"I'm sorry Jack." Damien holding her rather tight so she wouldn't fight him.

"Not Ziza." Jack cried out,

"Shh, Jack you have to calm down. Breathe." Damien petting her hair, she cried her heart out and screamed, it felt as if she was being torn into all over again.

"No!?" Jack screamed out like a dying animal, Damien knew she wasn't ready for this bombshell to be dropped on her, he had been ready for it, he hugged her and injected her with morphine to knock her out. She fell limp in his arms,

"I'll take care of you kid." Damien carefully laying her back onto the bed.

**Days Later **

Jack woke up with Damien coming out of the bathroom,

"Hey." Damien softly,

"Don't do that." Jack growled out,

"Don't do what?" Damien confused,

"Don't pity me. I don't do handouts." Jack grumbled.

"Right. Well you'll have to accept my help for a little while Jack." Damien explained,

"Come on, I'm giving you a good bath, I've been sponge bathing you this entire time." Damien getting her in his arms. Jack was quiet,

"Why did you do this?" Jack asked,

"Because you were a survivor, you fought to survive." Damien explained as he sat her in the tub. He adjusted the water, then plugged the tub.

"So how bad of scars do I have?" Jack asked,

"Considering the damage, they don't stand out much. I took your DNA and had synthetic skin made and did skin grafts on ya." Damien explained.

"So, I was pretty messed up huh?" Jack softly,

"Yeah Jack." Damien whispered, he took a rag and started soaping her up.

"Who you surviving for?" Damien asked,

"You would laugh at me for having a childish crush." Jack grumbled,

"I would never laugh at you." Damien explained.

"He was a con. Riddick. I know he is supposed to be this real dangerous guy but he cared about me. He cared enough to save me from a merc and those hammerhead beasts. I always thought he saw me as a little kid playing dress up. I had to survive to see him again. He promised me he would come back and see how well I grew up. I'm still waiting for him." Jack explained.

"I let down my family. I couldn't save them from the new threat." Jack whispered,

"Jack, there were too many, no one could fight those things." Damien explained,

"I could have gotten them to the vault at least, instead of chasing ghosts. I thought I could get Riddick to help us, I knew something big was coming, I could feel it in my bones. I couldn't find him, and I couldn't do anything for my family." Jack grumbled,

"How about we focus on getting you back some strength and then we'll do something about giving you some fighting skills." Damien seriously as he had finished washing her body and now washing her hair.

"You mean it?" Jack asked,

"Sure, I'm ex-military, though you being blind, well it will be slow going but not impossible. You will have to reign in the rage and anger though cause we will get frustrated so, just warning you ahead of time." Damien explained as he rinsed her hair with a picture of water.

"You'll have to work at it, and you aren't getting any handouts." Damien seriously.

"I can do it!" Jack's voice filled with determination.

"We will start exercising your legs. You have been asleep for three months so you have to be able to bathe, eat, and walk without stumbling before we start the hard stuff." Damien unplugging the tub and getting her out. He had a towel covering the toilet seat cover and sat her down as he dried her completely.

"Why help me Serge?" Jack asked, he hesitated for a split second,

"I watched enough of my brothers die in wars we fought. You could have easily laid in that alley and died and no one would have held it against you. I've seen solders die from less. You are still alive, you have two choices, live life in a bed and be looked upon with pity and given handouts or you can work hard and get back on your feet and one day be able to protect your family from other monsters that come your way, but you cant go it alone, you will need help. I am willing to help you." Damien seriously.

"Cause I'm a soldier?" Jack asked, he laughed,

"Yeah, and you impressed me living through what happened to you out there." Damien seriously. He carried her to the bed and got her in some clothes.

"Are there photos of the damage I lived through?" Jack asked, he could hear the fear in her voice.

"Yeah, I've got photos of you Jack. They are in a safe place. When you're ready I will tell you about it. You are far from strong enough to hear about it now." Damien seriously.

"I don't remember anything, all I remember was it was storming. So, it was pretty bad huh?" Jack asked,

"Why do you think I had to make synthetic skin from your DNA?" Damien asked,

"Get me up, I want to try walking with your help." Jack not liking laying on her back and doing nothing. Damien laughed,

"You are a spit fire aren't you? Okay." Damien getting her to the edge of the bed.

"Wrap your arm around my neck and hang on." Damien sternly, Jack did as told, he stood her up on her feet,

"Take your time." Damien seriously. Jack licked her dry lips, her legs felt like heavy weights, she shuffled a foot forward and then the other,

"You're doing great Jack." Damien shocked she could shuffle her feet along. She took another shuffled step,

"You know, you could have been exercising my legs all this time." Jack grumbled.

"I was busy doing other things, not everything is about you, sleeping beauty." Damien chuckled, Jack huffed,

"Like what?" Jack asked,

"Like helping bury the dead." Damien softly.

"Oh." Jack whispered,

"So, I don't have any permanent damage, other than my eyes?" Jack asked as she focused on shuffling her feet.

"Other than your eyes you are good." Damien explained, her legs suddenly went limp,

"Come on, lets get you back in bed. We will exercise those legs." Damien picking her up and putting her back in bed, he started bending her legs, giving her physical therapy on her legs while she laid there in bed.

**Three months Later**

Jack had gotten the use of her legs back, but she was still having to build back the muscle. They were still staying on Damien's ship until Jack could stabilize herself. She had given Damien money and he had gotten her a top of the line laptop with braille on the keys, so she now had a new identity, Nadia Richardson.

"Well are you ready to greet the outside world again?" Damien asked.

"Bring it on." Nadia smirked,

"So what is the cover story for Jack?" Damien asked as he wrapped her arm around his,

"Jack died trying to save her family. I'm her cousin." Nadia explained sadly.

"Got it. When we get settled I want you running with leg weights attached to those ankles." Damien seriously,

"How much destruction are we talking about with the town?" Nadia asked, he hesitated,

"Its gonna cost, at least half the town crumbled, and the docking station." Damien seriously.

"I'll fix it. What about Imam's place?" Nadia afraid to ask.

"Its caved in on itself. How you gonna fix this Nadia, this is thousands of creds of damage if not more." Damien explained. Nadia gave him a grin,

"I got deep pockets that replenish themselves. What about your place?" Nadia asked as they walked off the ship.

"Trashed but stable." Damien explained as she stopped, she could feel the sun on her face and she stopped to embrace the warmth.

"It's a new day. We better hold a town meeting. See what we got to work with." Nadia starting to walk again. Damien raised a brow at the woman who had defeated Death himself, and she was ready to jump back into the fray, willing to rebuild the destruction.

"We'll hold the town meeting in the bar." Damien clearing his throat.

"No one finds out that I'm funding all this, got it?" Nadia demanded, he was quiet,

"I'm no hero Serge." Nadia seriously.

"You're wrong, you saved yourself, that makes you a hero in my eyes. Don't forget that Nadia." Damien holding her head in his hands.

"I didn't do anything." Nadia seriously,

"You drug yourself from the back of an alley out into the open for someone to find you. If you had laid there, no one would have been able to find you." Damien explained as they made it to his home.

"So you know where the fight took place?" Nadia asked,

"Yeah, a lot of blood and drag marks." Damien sitting her down in a chair. Nadia stared with unseeing eyes in space.

"Don't you do that Jack. You cant focus on what happened." Damien getting in her face, her hand snapped out and had wrapped around his throat in a pretty good grip,

"Don't ever call me that. Jack is dead." Nadia growled out.

"Okay, ease up Nadia." Damien rasped out. Nadia removed her hand, he coughed a little,

"Nadia, listen to your own words, you said Jack is dead, you cant focus on the past. You have to keep moving forward. The quicker you get passed that hurdle the better off you will be." Damien seriously. Nadia nodded,

"I guess you're right but I'm not giving up on him coming back. Go, round everyone up and get them here. I wanna get started." Nadia explained.

"Alright, I'll be back." Damien explained, he left the bar and went to round everyone up. An hour later he made it back to the bar,

"So, you want some food?" Damien asked,

"A sandwich." Nadia grumbled.

"I told them to gather here at six tonight. It should give everyone time to get here." Damien fixing a sandwich for her.


	5. An eye for detail

Everyone who was still alive gathered in the bar. It was 6:10 pm., they were talking among themselves. Nadia had Damien lift her onto the bar,

"Everyone quiet!" Damien shouted, everyone turned to Damien,

"Nadia here has a plan to fix the town. I'm giving her the floor." Damien shouted,

"Alright, we got a huge donation from someone to fix the town. All supplies will be paid in full, but the rest is up to all of us. We will have to get the supplies from another nearby planet. So, there will be two groups, one will go with us to get supplies and they will load the supplies onto the ship. The other group will stay here and form a line to get these supplies off the ship quickly and orderly. Everyone will be helping including myself. Now do we have anyone who is a construction worker? Raise your hand." Nadia seriously.

"We got two." Damien pointed out,

"Good, take names Serge." Nadia instructed,

"Okay, so the plan is we get the houses built back and then the businesses. Unless you guys want to build businesses back first then the houses?" Nadia throwing out some ideas,

"Yes, you in the back, speak up so we can hear you." Damien explained,

"We could do a couple of houses then some businesses. Everyone could house those that don't have a house yet." the guy explained,

"We do need some income coming in before building the houses back. We could lose business." another guy explained.

"Okay, so businesses and dock station first?" Nadia asked, everyone agreed,

"We can house some on our ships." Damien explained,

"Um, yeah, I got three bedrooms on mine." Nadia explained,

"I have four. We could house…" Damien being interrupted,

"I've got some space." one guy shouted,

"Alright, everyone gets a bed. People that have room for others come and write your name down and how many available beds you have. We will figure it up but everyone will get a bed. Its going to be a rough few months. The houses will be rebuilt back to the original floor plans or close to it." Damien explained,

"Meals will be held here in the bar. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, we will have the assigned times and everyone that can cook will switch out the cooking duties. Alright guys let's all work together and try to get along. We are all survivors so we all have been through this destruction and some of us may have lost family and/or all priceless memories. Let's do this in their honor." Nadia seriously. Everyone whistled or yelled for Nadia's speech.

"Hey Serge, a little help?" Nadia asked, Damien came over and put her hand on his shoulder, she put her other hand on his other shoulder and he helped her down. Nadia was escorted to a chair,

"Thanks." Nadia relaxing, a few minutes later a guy came up to her.

"Really good speech, you were apart of Imam's family weren't you?" the guy asked,

"Just because we lose our family to death, we don't stop being family. And yeah, I'm Jack's cousin, Nadia, and you are?" Nadia turning her dull unseeing eyes towards the guy,

"I'm Peter, looks like those bastards blinded ya." Peter sitting down,

"Yeah, I was trying to get them to the vault. Serge found me and has been taking care of me." Nadia explained,

"So how are you going to help build the town back if you're blind?" Peter asked.

"Hey, I'm more than a pretty face, my arms, legs, and hands still work. Just watch out when I'm willing a hammer though." Nadia laughed.

"I guess you'll figure out where the nail is real quick huh?" Peter smiling,

"Yeah, I see a lot of smashed fingers in my future." Nadia smiling.

"I'm one of the construction workers and I've been inside of Imam's place a time or two so I can draw out the floor plans like Imam had, that is if you want me to." Peter explained,

"Yeah, that would be great. Though I want to do a little change here and there." Nadia explained. They talk about what Nadia wanted to change and Peter thought it was a unique idea for the basement plans.

"Definitely doable." Peter explained,

"As for the docking station, we should have twice as many docks and the station itself should be more of a homing feel to it. If people visit we want them to feel at home but we should have a good security system in place so maybe we can all be alerted ahead of time of any threat, give people more than enough time to get to the vault, so this doesn't happen again." Nadia explained.

"Must be one hell of a donation we received." Peter narrowing his eyes at her.

"I pulled a few strings. Trust me, I have a very pretty face even when I'm blind. Also, the families that are in need of more room in their house, do it. The money is there and also after every house is built back and has a security alert system, we need another bar and a bigger, homey hotel. Think of business, vacation, and family all combined together." Nadia explained.

"You should be a designer if you aren't one already." Peter laughed,

"Just trying to get the town back on its feet faster and maybe create more jobs. You really like my ideas?" Nadia asked.

"Yeah, they are great. You must care a lot about this town and the people in it." Peter explained.

"Well, I mean its like a second home, and I think Imam would have wanted me to try and take care of the people who did survive this…whatever the hell this was." Nadia explained softly. Peter hesitated to say anything else, he could tell he had hit a fresh wound,

"Besides, I cant be a designer, I cant draw for shit." Nadia laughed a little.

"Maybe an interior designer. You do know details, as long as you have someone who can draw floor plans, you got a business." Peter giving her something to think about. He stared at her as she went quiet,

"I can already see the wheels turning in that pretty little head of yours." Peter smirked,

"Yeah, you have given me something to think about, not going to lie." Nadia seriously.

"Good, cause I think I've got a partner with a mind's eye for detail." Peter excitedly. Nadia and Peter talked more about the details and what to do with scrap.


	6. A set back

**Next Few Months**

Nadia was a gofer, gaining muscles in her arms as she carried boards from the person cutting them to the people who needed them. She started off slow, building her muscles back. People's voices steered her in the right direction being her eyes. It didn't take long for the businesses and dock station to be up and running.

What they could save from scrap they built a place for kids to play, a playground of sorts, dedicated to those who lost their lives. Once she gained muscles, she started climbing ladders with roofing material and nails and hammers. When she started hammering nails that's when she started cussing worse than a sailor, hitting her fingers more often than the head of a nail. Everyone had newfound respect for her, she was out there, blind and working her ass off.

"Imam would be proud of you, hell, you have shocked me and that's saying something." Damien slugging her in the arm. Nadia shrugged,

"Just trying to do my part and hey I'm gaining my strength back, but I suck at hammering." Nadia showing her busted fingers to him,

"Practice makes perfect." Damien letting out a chuckle over her fingers, she flipped him off.

"I still have one finger that isn't busted." Nadia explained,

"I see that, give it time, you'll have that one busted too." Damien seriously.

"Ass." Nadia huffed out as they took lunch. Peter and Damien sat by her,

"So, I take it you and Nadia here got off to a good start?" Damien seriously,

"Oh yeah, she has some good ideas for this place. Told her she could be an awesome designer if she wanted to be." Peter explained,

"Nadia can't draw for shit." Damien taking a swig of beer and taking Nadia's beer away.

"Come on Serge, just one?" Nadia growled,

"You are getting in shape so no." Damien seriously, Peter raised a brow,

"Going to train her combat style." Damien explained to Peter.

"Oh, ha, good luck with that." Peter snickered, Nadia's hand caught around his throat,

"You don't think I can do it?" Nadia angling her head as she stared in his direction and growled out, Damien sat by and watched and drank his beer,

"No…" Peter croaked out,

"Just cause I'm blind I'm not helpless." Nadia growled out.

"I know that." Peter turning blue,

"I …wasn't…laughing …at you." Peter croaked out, Nadia snatched her hand away, Damien gave her the beer back.

"Just one." Damien putting her hand on the beer.

"Thank you." Nadia calmly,

"No one will see you coming that's for sure." Peter explained as he pulled in much needed air into his lungs.

"And why is that?" Nadia narrowing her eyes in Peter's direction,

"Cause you're a hot looking chick." Peter smirked,

"Pete, I think I'd stop before you dig your own grave." Damien explained calmly.

"Figured that chicks like to be complimented." Peter explained,

"Usually guys use the words gorgeous or beautiful, not 'hot looking chick'." Nadia taking a swig of her beer, or trying to, the top was still on. Nadia growled,

"Not funny Damien." Nadia huffed as she put the beer at the edge of the table and slammed her hand down on it to pop the top off, Peter and Damien chuckled,

"Trying to keep you on your toes there Nadia." Damien smirked.

"Uh-huh, that's the last time you'll trick me on that." Nadia huffed as she took a swig.

"Sure Nadia." Damien rolling his eyes,

"Don't roll your eyes at me." Nadia grumbled. Damien looked at her stunned,

"You've been living with me too long." Damien leaning back in his chair.

"Don't I know it." Nadia grumbled. A month later Damien and Nadia had started her training and Cronus, the name Nadia came up with, was almost rebuilt. Damien started slow with her training. He started with teaching her proper punches and kicks, then using rubber plastic knives. Damien taught her how to focus her other senses and they had grown tenfold. It had helped that she had worked to help rebuild the town.

She could hear his movements and fend off his attack on her. He had trained her military style and other styles he knew of. It took a while, about five months before Nadia started to get the hang of fighting with rattan eskrima (bamboo fighting sticks). But this night her focus was off, her mind was elsewhere. Damien struck her in the side, knocking her down, and knocking her breath from her.

"Fuck." Nadia shouted, he tried to help her up,

"I'm fine." Nadia jerked away. Slowly she sat up and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Where are you at today Nadia?" Damien sitting in his basement floor with her,

"I'm here." Nadia grumbled,

"If you were here, you would have tried blocking that, you didn't." Damien explained. Nadia was quiet for a while,

"I miss Riddick." Nadia mumbled,

Okay, I think you need to know about the damage you took." Damien explained.

"Why now?" Nadia asked,

"Within these short few months you have come a long way from when I found you, and you need to realize that too before you give up and quit. The only reason you haven't become a ball of mush that can't get out of bed in the morning because of depression is because you have been going. You have been out there working your ass off to help rebuild the town, and we have recently been doing your training so you should be sleeping pretty good, so I don't…" Damien being interrupted,

"I have night terrors. Those hammerheads are haunting me again, and whoever cut me up, I'm still fighting all of them on occasions. I need him back. He was the only one who could fend them off." Nadia whispered.

"Jesus Nadia, why didn't you say anything?" Damien putting his hand to her cheek, he dried her tears.

"Cause no one can find him, he is a ghost, he doesn't want to be found." Nadia mumbled.

"Maybe this isn't the right time to tell you about the damage you endured." Damien explained.

"No, I need to know how far I have come." Nadia explained,

"Are you sure?" Damien asked,

"Yeah." Nadia staring at him with dull and film covered eyes, Damien swallowed hard, he pulled her into his arms and lap,

"When I found you, you were holding your right breast to where it was supposed to be attached, it was barely still attached." Damien telling her in pieces of what had happened. He heard her suck in air,

"You were holding your stomach with your other hand to keep your guts in place. Your eyes, from your right temple to your left temple, it was as if someone sprayed acid in your eyes because all of it was burnt. Your back was cut up but not near what the front of your body was damaged. Like I said, you didn't have enough skin to do a proper skin graft with so I repaired the internal damage, then gave you a month to stabilize and went back with synthetic skin from your DNA and made sure to fix the damage properly." Damien explained. Nadia had swallowed the bile that she had upchucked, she was quiet for a long time.

"Nadia, talk to me." Damien freaking out,

"So, I'm stitched together like Frankenstein?" Nadia asked harshly.

"No, you barely have any scarring, even your eyes and temples." Damien explained,

"Show me." Nadia explained as she began to shake.

"I don't understand what…" Damien being interrupted,

"Take my finger and run it over my scars. I have to know that I'm not all stitched up and ugly." Nadia explained. Damien took her finger and put it to one temple to let her feel a tiny ridge of a scar, Nadia pulled her sports bra off and Damien took her finger and guided her finger down a faint scar starting at her collar bone and going through the valley of her breasts, it curved around on the underside of her breast.

"Everything was lasered, a few more months and you wont even feel that." Damien explained softly. Nadia put her sports bra back on, she slowly stood up, but she was quiet for a moment,

"Thank you for everything you have done for me Damien, especially with the laser surgery." Nadia explained quietly.

"You are far from ugly Nadia. I wouldn't have left you like that." Damien seriously,

"I'm glad I had you in my dire need, but he can't ever know about any of it." Nadia limping her way towards the stairs,

"Nadia…" Damien being interrupted,

"He can't ever see me in those pictures, all cut up like that!" Nadia shouted,

"Alright, I'll give them to you tomorrow. Where are you going?" Damien asked,

"I'm done for the night." Nadia growled as she limped off upstairs and out of the club.


	7. stay away from me you're better off

Imam's place hadn't been built back yet but the people who had been bunking in her ship were sleeping in their own space tonight. All her sheets and bedding had been washed but right now, she felt dirty, she felt like a Frankenstein. Sure, she had felt the scars that were barely even there but the description of the damage that she had endured, it made her feel like she had let those hammerheads rip her up. She jumped in the shower and scrubbed, she scrubbed her skin until it was red and raw.

_~He cant ever see me this way. How is he going to love me now? ~_ Nadia thought to herself as tears ran freely down her face.

(Fantasy by Nadia playing)

**_So stay away from me_**

**_You're better off to stay as far from lovin' me_**

**_Just stay a fantasy_**

**_In the dark, and in the night and in my dreams_**

Nadia washed up and got out, she wrapped herself in a towel and walked down to her bedroom, running her hand along the wall of the ship to get there. Once she got into her room she crawled onto the bed and curled into a ball with her hand clutching the shiv that her initials and his embedded into the bone handle. A faint outline of Riddick, almost like a ghost, came and laid down by her curling her into his huge arms of comfort and safety.

"I need you." Nadia choked out, as she cried herself to sleep.

**_So stay away from me_**

**_You're better off to stay as far from lovin' me_**

**_Just stay a fantasy_**

**_In the dark, and in the night, and in my dreams_**

Nadia started to toss in her sleep, she dreamt of Riddick.

_"__I'm here Jack. Thought you would be a little too old for those hammerheads to still be chasing you." Riddick standing next to her bed, she could see him plain as day. _

_"__You can't see me like this. Stay away from me, I'm the monster now. How could you ever love me like this?" Nadia turning away from him._

_"__No Jack, you ain't no monster." Riddick turning her around, his hand still on her hip, _

_"__But I…" Nadia not looking him in the eyes. Riddick raised her chin to make her look at him, _

_"__You are gorgeous Jack. You are breathing, you're alive, and you survived, you survived for me." Riddick explained in his deep demanding baritone voice. _

_"__How could you love someone who…" Nadia being interrupted, _

_"__You told me once that I was worth it. You are alive because I was worth it, wasn't I? And I don't see any kind of scars." Riddick holding her hip and touching her hair. _

_"__You are worth it Riddick, but you never came back to me. I need you right now." Nadia leaning her cheek into his massive hand, aching for his touch. _

_"__You grew up gorgeously perfect." Riddick spoke low, in a demanding voice. _

_"__You aren't here." Nadia whined out, _

_"__You've gotta give me time." Riddick whispered in her ear as he licked her ear lobe. Nadia closed her eyes and moaned, _

_"__Stay away from me, you're better off to stay as far from loving me Riddick. I'm damaged." Nadia whispered, Riddick's arm came around her waist, _

_"__No, I'm not better off. You saw worth in me long ago. You still see worth in me because you survived, you still breathe air, if you gave up, I wouldn't still be worth anything. You saw me when I was an animal, but there was something in me you decided that was redeemable. If you did not exist, there would be no reason for me to rejoin the human race. And its too late for me not to love you, because I already do. You are loved Jack, don't you ever forget that." Riddick making her look him in his mercury silver eyes. _

_"__Then show me, show me how much I mean to you." Nadia whispered. Riddick held her hips on the outside of her towel, he pulled her flush against his huge muscled body. Without warning he crushed his lips to hers into a searing kiss. The towel dropped to the floor as her hands came up to hold his cheeks as their kiss deepened, Riddick grabbed her up and threw her on the bed. He gave her his classic crooked smile as he took the time to throw his shirt off. He crawled up her body like she was his prey. He kissed and nipped every inch of her long legs, savoring her. Nadia began to pant, she wanted more, she whined out his name as his lips turned into a smile against her skin. _

_"__Patience Jack, good things come to those who wait." Riddick whispered in a husky voice. _

_"__Patience is not my strong suit, not at a time like this." Nadia growled, _

_"__Ha, training must be a bitch then." Riddick chuckled a little. _

_"__And you Mr. Riddick are wearing far too many clothes." Nadia fumbling with his cargos._

_"__You do this often Jack?" Riddick helping her, _

_"__First willing time, but technically this is a dream. You're way of saving me from the real monsters, huh?" Nadia licking her lips, _

_"__No more talk." Riddick leaning down to kiss her scars, Nadia put her hand over the spot, _

_"__Jack, I have scars too. The thing about scars, they heal. If they weren't scars, they would still be open wounds, and you would have bled out, cease to exist. I will kiss them to show you how much I love you for surviving. If I have to tell you how beautiful you are everyday until you believe it I will. If you have to tie you down to the bed to show you how beautiful you are to me every night, that is definitely doable, and I am more than willing. Move your hand." Riddick demanded, Nadia stared at him, he angled his head, as he watched her eyes fill with tears. _

_"__I love you Riddick." Nadia putting her hand to the side of his neck, _

_"__You have no idea Jack, but I am trying to show you just how much." Riddick growled. He grabbed her wrist and pulled it away from the scars, he licked them, gently running his tongue down the scar and around the underside of her breast where the scar ended. _

_"__You can barely even see it." Riddick whispered as he ran his hands all over her body as she squirmed._

_"__Fuck, you are driving me crazy!?" Nadia growled out. Riddick removed his boxers, his fingers traced her hips where they led down to something warm, sweet, and juicy. He gently dipped his fingers in between the wet womanly folds, she gave a squeal, _

_"__So not nice to tease." Nadia growled, he licked his fingers, _

_"__Just savoring all of you Jack, I don't wanna eat you whole." Riddick rubbing his enlarged member into her dripping juices. _

_"__Please Riddick." Nadia begged, she was so wet for him, he hissed, _

_"__Damn Jack." Riddick grabbing her hips to steady himself from just taking her like the animal he was. He had never made love, the slow, savoring, and compassionate kind, but he was trying, all for this woman who had loved him and not for the con he was. Slowly he filled her cavern, warm, wet, and tingling with want. _

_"__Yes! God!" Nadia hissed out, _

_"__God has nothing to do with it." Riddick leaned down and whispered in her ear. _

_"__You have to move. Don't stay still." Nadia whined, _

_"__I am trying to show you how much I care. You're not just another lay for me. You are mine. I am marking you as mine tonight." Riddick explained as he sealed his words with a raw passion filled kiss. Slowly he began to move as he tasted her skin with his lips. She was strangling his enlarged manhood with her muscles and he didn't know if he could last. She felt unlike any woman he had ever had, _

_"__Riddick more!?" Nadia panted, _

_"__We have all night babe." Riddick's voice rang out. _

The dream started to fade out as Nadia sat straight up, sweating and panting, with her arm swinging her shiv out. Once her heartrate calmed she felt her chest, it was warm, almost like a branding mark.

"What the hell?" Nadia hissed out,

"Nadia? You okay?" Damien coming in, he saw her tousled hair, she had her hand over her chest,

"Nadia?" Damien asked, she could hear the panic in his voice.

"Are you alright?" Damien touching her cheek,

"My chest, it burns." Nadia still having her hand on it,

"Let me see it." Damien gently moving her hand, he saw a glowing handprint.

"Furyan." Damien clinching his jaw,

"What?" Nadia confused,

"You are a Furyan. You have this greenish glowing handprint on your chest." Damien seriously.

"He said…. he said he was going to mark me as his." Nadia staring into space.

"What? What happened last night Nadia?" Damien try to move her hair behind her ear, she caught his wrist,

"Nobody can know about this." Nadia hissed out.

"What…" Damien being interrupted,

"Nobody can know I'm a Furyan!? Promise me!" Nadia panicked,

"Yeah, okay, I got it. Now tell me, what happened last night." Damien confused, Nadia calmed herself, then proceeded to tell him about the dream without all the details.

"Damn Nadia, didn't think you missed him that much." Damien chuckled,

"He was protecting me from the nightmares, in his own way." Nadia seriously.

"Or it just means you need to get laid." Damien smirked.

"No, he was gentle. He said I wasn't like the rest." Nadia harshly,

"It was just a wet dream sweetheart." Damien leaving her room. Nadia put her hand to the glowing handprint,

"It wasn't just a dream, it was so vivid. It was…he was here. I could touch him. He was so real." Nadia's body tingling all over,

"Wow." Nadia gasped low.


	8. From the ashes a phoenix arises

Ever since that dream Nadia had new life breathed into her, something about that dream had sparked determination in her. Where she thought she was as ugly as Frankenstein and wasn't worth a grain of salt, he didn't see it that way. He had explained to her that she had survived, she breathed air into her lungs, and he had assured her those scars were barely visible, she was beautiful to him, and he loved her.

The one person that it matter to her told her that she was worth it, the one person she loved had returned his own love to her: Riddick. Nadia resumed her training and she worked harder to build her skills. She got faster with the rattan escrima sticks, blocking every attack Damien threw out at her. With her determination her strength grew, she picked up stealth, and even in her training with Damien she had beaten him to a pulp.

"I don't know what has gotten into you, but you are highly skilled." Damien accepting her help up from the floor.

"That dream. Damien, I can't see any of the damage I took that night, all I can do is feel the scars with my fingers. When he came to me, he assured me that I wasn't an ugly looking monster. He told me I was beautiful and that he loved me." Nadia giving him a small smile.

"Damn Nadia, it must have been some dream." Damien chuckled,

"Yeah, it was so vivid, he was real, all of it, so life like." Nadia rubbing her eyes. Damien noticed she had been rubbing her eyes more often.

"What's up with your eyes? Let me see them." Damien turning her head toward him. He still saw the dull film covering over her eyes but there was a tiny mercury silver glint in them.

"They itch sometimes, ever since my mark." Nadia explained he was quiet; he knew she was getting her second pair of eyes. He couldn't do anything but give her a big hug,

"What's up with you?" Nadia confused,

"You'll see in a few days or week." Damien smirked.

"Damn Damien, I hate it when you do this to me. Why can't you just tell me?" Nadia knowing it had to be good news, he just didn't hug her like that for no reason, he wasn't the coddling type. Damien was ex-military so he believed coddling someone would make them weak and lazy, and she had definitely not received handouts the entire time he was taking care of her. Nadia had fought tooth and nail to get where she was, and Damien couldn't be prouder of her.

She was about to be able to see again, and it couldn't have happened to a more deserving person. Nadia checked on Peter to see how Imam's place was coming,

"Hey, I've got time to put in today so what are we doing?" Nadia asked.

"We are about half done. The basement and tunnels took longer but it shouldn't be too much longer. We are finishing up the first floor so you can help with that." Peter giving her a hammer, she was steered in the direction of where they were working, and she sat to work. Nadia had become a pro at hitting nails with her hammer with the countless nails she had hammered building the town back.

Nadia had finally come out on top from the rumble that threaten to suffocate her, she had won and now, soon, very soon, she would have a home she could be proud of. She put her heart, soul, blood, and sweat into building this town back and because of her the people had a better life back, back from the ashes a phoenix arises. A few days later Nadia woke up, it was pitch black in her ship, but her eyes were on fire. She let out a cry that sounded like a wounded animal,

"Nadia, calm down. I brought some eye drops for ya." Damien explained. He held her down and put the eye drops in, it lessened the burning to a dull ache.

"What is wrong with my eyes sergeant?" Nadia asked,

"They are Furyan, Furyan's have shined eyes, from what little information I know. Females take longer to get their 'see in the dark' eyes I guess." Damien explained.

"Probably best if you stay put for a while. Keep using the eye drops." Damien putting the bottle in her hand,

"How is it you were here?" Nadia asked as she laid back down.

"I saw them trying to come in so I figured you would need some help." Damien shrugged; Nadia sighed in relief.

"You tryin' to play guardian angel?" Nadia asked,

"Figured you needed a strong male figure to teach ya, giving you help when you are too stubborn to ask for it." Damien explained.

"Good I got someone watchin' my six." Nadia trying to give him a smile,

"Here, almost forgot, take two of these." Damien giving her pills,

"They are for your migraine." Damien putting a glass of water in her hand. She swallowed them,

"I told Peter you got your eyes shined so there wouldn't be any questions asked." Damien explained.

"Thanks, with the help of some special contacts I should be able to see color too." Nadia explained,

"Need to get used to those eyes first." Damien seriously,

"At least things are looking up now." Nadia grumbled. Damien chuckled,

"Yeah, just don't let that training go to waste, just gonna have to blindfold you now to keep you on your toes." Damien seriously.

"Oh, come on Serge, I think I'm the most deserving person to get my sight back, don't you think?" Nadia asked.

"Yeah, however, if you want to best lover boy then you need not give up on 'seeing' with your other senses. Wouldn't you agree?" Damien asked. Nadia reluctantly agreed.

"Give me a few days. Kind of in a new kind of pain here." Nadia grumbled and groaned as she rolled over and fell back to sleep. Nadia resumed her training and finished Imam's place with Peter's help. Now they were building new houses to buy and to rent out. Peter and Nadia went in together and owned them. Nadia suggested to have apartments and condos built as well.

It took them a little longer to build the condos and apartments, but Cronus was pulling in people in droves. Nadia and Damien had become sort of governors of Cronus. They were setting up people who were left in the town with jobs and with the droves of people coming in they were responsible for the money the businesses were bringing in. Nadia was making sure everyone had a decent paycheck.

"It was a really good idea to make the station more welcoming." Peter explained.

"Yeah, I think the hotels turned out pretty nice too. Definitely like the rooftop bar and grill, very romantic shit don't you think?" Nadia enjoying a glass of wine and gazing out at the night,

"It is something." Peter drinking his beer.

"How are your eyes doing?" Peter asked,

"The burning is completely gone, and with my contacts I can see. It's as if it never happened." Nadia softly.

"Have you been to visit their graves?" Peter asked quietly,

"No, I haven't…I failed them Pete. I would dishonor them if I went." Nadia whispered,

"Nadia, no one could have done anything to stop those monsters. The best you could have done was try to get them to the vault. No one blames you." Peter seriously.

"I do. No matter what, I could never be forgiven for leaving them to die like that!" Nadia growled as she walked away. Tonight, would make three years to the day that her family had died and Nadia had been born. Never once had she gone to their graves. Never once did she seek forgiveness, how could she beg for forgiveness from a dead and rotting corpse when she herself could never forgive herself for leaving them, especially when she was trying to find the one man who could possibly have saved them from those monster.

Nadia fell asleep on her new bed in what would have been her old room, the other rooms had and always would be her family that she had failed to save. It was only four in the afternoon when she fell asleep. Sleep wasn't so kind to her though, her Furyan mark heated up and was glowing as she began to have another vivid dream, but this time there were no faces, just bodies. Bodies entangled within each other. Arms entangled and wrapped around a rather large body. Hands roaming over a strong muscular back, nails digging into that back as legs wrapped and entangled together with huge legs. Every touch like liquid fire coursing through her nerves. Nadia cried out in her sleep.


	9. Saving a life of a stranger

***Disclaimer to all the songs that are in these chapters they are not mine and I don't make any money from them***

Riddick was starting on his second glass of whiskey, Damien was filling him in on the town and a couple of girls being tipsy were sitting beside him.

"So, what about you Byron?" Damien asked, Riddick didn't know why he was telling this barkeep his whole life story, but he figured at least one local needed to know,

"I killed the Necro's Lord Marshall in the process of burying a dear friend who gave her life for mine." Riddick finishing what he had left in the glass.

"Wait…you, you killed the lord marshall guy, snap. Drinks are on the house! Hey…" Damien about to announce it to the whole club, Riddick grabbed Damien's shirt,

"Sergeant, do me a favor, don't paint me a hero. They had my girl, I had to kill them to get her back and she died trying to help me kill the bastard. I'm no hero." Riddick growled out. They were both staring one another down, Riddick never smelt fear on this guy, but he was ex-military,

"I get it man." Damien giving a slight nod,

"What the hell, get off of Serge!" a black headed bombshell, legs for days snatching Damien back away from this brute. Riddick caught her eyes,

"Green." Riddick mumbled, now he himself smelt his own fear, the universe was lining up to put him down like the animal he was.

"I'm fine Nadia, please, my buddy here has had the worse three years of his life. He had a run in with Necros. Happy anniversary Nadia." Damien giving her a shot of Exitus Absinthe as he held his shot and poured Riddick a shot of it, they looked at their shot glasses,

"I don't celebrate the anniversary of my family's death." Nadia growled out,

"Maybe you can now, Byron here killed the lord marshall guy." Damien explained,

"Wait, you're the kid that build this town back?" Riddick asked,

"Damn it Serge, you need to stop with the life story about me!" Nadia punching him in the arm hard,

"Shit, I'm sorry, can't we at least toast to the Necros being dead?" Damien asked, Riddick was busy staring at the green liquid, afraid to look at this woman who could have been Jack's sister.

"I don't know, Byron you killed the lord marshall but what about the rest of 'em?" Nadia asked,

"Blew them back to the underverse." Riddick slowly raising his head to meet her green eyes,

"Thought you lost your eyesight?" Riddick asked, Nadia sucked in her lips and turned and punched Damien again,

"You motherfucker! I'm not some sad sap Damien. I'm fine Byron I got 'em shined and got contacts." Nadia grumbled, Riddick's mouth dropped open a little,

"No big deal, so the Necros are gone, all gone for good?" Nadia asked,

"They are gone for good." Riddick staring into her eyes, he had to look away, his furyan mark was flaring up again, he put his hand to his chest, Nadia's mark was warmer, she stared at the guy, wondering if he was the furyan.

"What's wrong, you got a problem with green eyes?" Nadia asked,

"His girl was caught in the middle…" Damien being interrupted,

"She had green eyes." Riddick mumbled, Nadia gasped silently but Riddick heard it,

"I'm so sorry." Nadia staring down at the green in her shot glass.

"We drink to the Necros finally getting theirs, and to thank you for doing the deed." Nadia standing closer to Riddick to clink shot glasses,

"Here, here!" Damien clinking his glass with theirs as they knocked it back and slammed their glasses on the bar.

"Okay, well, now that story time is over, I came to let loose. Will I see you out there B?" Nadia asked, Riddick was staring at his glass,

"Hey, earth to Byron?" Nadia slapping the bar.

"Yeah?" Riddick glancing up,

"You really do need to let loose." Nadia seriously,

"Um, ha, no, I don't do the whole clubbing, dancing thing. I just came to drown the past." Riddick holding his whiskey glass up. Damien poured another half a glass,

"Suit yourself." Nadia shrugged, she left from behind the bar and went to the dance floor.

**(Life of a Stranger by Nadia Ali Playing) **

Riddick sucks in breath as he hung his head over the bar,

_~What the hell was that? ~ _Riddick asked himself. He took another drink,

"Sisters." Riddick mumbled,

"What did you just say?" Damien asked,

"Nadia, she looks a lot like my girl." Riddick taking a large drink of whiskey. Damien dropped a glass he was cleaning, it shattered in the floor. He remembered the story that Nadia had told him and swore an oath to keep it to himself.

"Damn, I'm really sorry. That's kind of a slap in the face." Damien seriously,

"It's fucked up is what it is." Riddick mumbled.

"What was your girl's name?" Damien asked,

"She wasn't my girl, just a kid I saved a long time ago, her name as far as I knew her by was Jack." Riddick taking another drink, not bothering to look at Damien, Damien knew he was turning pale, he schooled his facial expressions and being ex-military he was pretty good at it, he grabbed the broom and swept up the glass pieces, Nadia had told him the whole story about a con that had saved her ass from hammerhead monsters on a planet long ago. It wasn't Damien's place to tell this stranger who Nadia really was, besides this guy's girl had died.

"The bad thing is she winded up saving my ass, bringing a little piece of humanity back into my soul." Riddick turning to watch Nadia dance to the song, and he had a front row seat. He closed his eyes and smelt the air, he could smell her, he figured it wouldn't hurt to try and get some from this Nadia, maybe he could kill the green eyed ghost that was threatening his very existence.

He quickly downed the rest in his glass and slowly approached her on the dance floor. Damien watched him, took in the guy's body type, he fit the bill of Nadia's description of Riddick, he gave a small smile, shaking his head,

"No doubt she already knows who you are big guy." Damien mumbled underneath his breath, he would keep their secret, who was he to rat out on soulmates.

**_You saved my heart _**

**_You don't even know me _**

**_You saved my dream _**

**_You heard me scream _**

She could feel Riddick behind her, her furyan mark warming with the fluttering, he felt it too as he took in her scent up close. She could smell fear on him, like he was afraid to touch her, he closed his eyes as he listened to the lyrics of the song. Nadia ran her fingers through her hair as she danced slowly to the music. Riddick got closer, like a moth to a flame. She felt her fingers brush against his neck, turned around, Riddick carefully pulled her closer, she could feel him shake, his uncertainty getting to him, he was giving her an out if she needed one.

Instead she started running her hands along his arms, the touches like a flame licking his arms with a gentle burn. He closed his eyes as he got lost into the lyrics. This woman was saving him from drowning, saving him from himself, he had been thinking hard about finding a merc and hand his ass over to them so he could get sent to a slam, no one else was going to die for him.

**_My lost soul was saved _**

**_By a stranger _**

**_Who saved my life _**

**_You saved my life_**

A stranger, saving his lost soul, but why, this girl owed him nothing, they had just met and here was this angel risking her life to save his. His heart was shattered by Jack dying in his arms, how could this chick save his heart when she didn't even know him. He had killed people, he was an animal. He couldn't let what had happened to Jack happen to Nadia, but he was a trapped animal, he couldn't escape if he wanted to. He wasn't really dancing, just holding her hips as her fierce touches lit fires in his veins. Soon another song came on.

**(Is it Love Nadia Ali)**

Nadia's movements got more personal, she began to rub up against him, he started to pick up her movements and soon they were moving as one, her arm coming up around his neck as he ran his large hand down her arm. He could have sworn he heard her hiss from his touch, he had no idea how to dance like this he was going by her lead, his body mimicking her own.

**_I never knew a love _**

**_A love that could be sweeter _**

**_No matter what my mind says _**

**_Your music give me fever_**

He smelt her desire for him, her sexual frustration slowly letting itself know, she smelt like what he thought sexy and beautiful smelt like.

**_The moment that we danced_**

**_Your arms felt like a cradle_**

**_And when you took my hand _**

**_I was no longer able_**

Nadia felt her breath hitch as all the comfort those big arms used to give her when she had crawled into his bed late at night when those hammerheads were attacking her, the safety cradle that his arms were. Then their hands tangled, it was electrifying, and she wasn't able to hold back her feelings any longer.

**_It never felt so right before _**

**_I need to be with you much more_**

**_I cant believe this kind of fate_**

**_We can runaway _**

**_Is it love?_**

She peppered his neck with kisses, without saying a word she grabbed his wrist, having a death grip on it, she was pulling him through a sea of people towards the door and he could hear her panting.

**_I'm always in a spell _**

**_Even when I sleeping _**

**_You're always on my mind _**

**_I hope that I'm not dreaming_**

Riddick seriously hoped and prayed like no tomorrow that this was no dream, if it was, he would seriously end his life. A beautiful woman that had green eyes running out the door with him in tow.

**_If I am let me stay asleep _**

**_Don't wake me up I feel complete _**

**_I never want to feel it end _**

**_What a lovely moment_**

Why was it that he had felt complete with this stranger, this woman? He barely knew her, but he could feel in his veins that he was awake now, he really was alive. She had breathed life back into his sorry ass. She whistled for a cab once they were outside, without a word said she got in and pulled him in and he shut the door.


	10. animals mating

***warning* sex scene chapter**

Nadia told the driver her address, then she started full on attacking him, her lips kissing and nipping on his neck, she threw herself onto his lap as she grabbed his arms and put them around her.

"Your touch, its like liquid fire." Nadia hissed out as she starting chewing on his lower lip, she hissed as he groaned, though it sounded like a growl. One of his hands held the back of her head as the other pulled her closer to his lap,

"God." Riddick hissed,

"Don't think God has much to do with it." Nadia running her fingers through his long black hair, having already pulled the hair tie from it.

"My blood is boiling." Riddick growled Nadia feeling his chest rumble,

"Yeah." Nadia agreeing with him, she pulled his shirt from being tucked into his pants, slowly letting her hands crawl underneath and onto his burning flesh.

"Nadia, we're here." the driver knocking on the glass,

"Thank god, night Pete." Nadia getting out and grabbing Riddick's wrist, she didn't want him getting away, he shut the door.

"Hey we gotta pay the… driver." Riddick turning and watching Pete drive away,

"Babe, I helped him build his place back. Its free." Nadia getting the keys from her belt.

"Do this a lot do you?" Riddick chuckled as she seemed to be having a problem with the keys and door,

"Just this once." Nadia laughed a little, she finally got the keys undone from her belt, she fumbled with trying to find the right key.

"Oh god damn it." Nadia trying to hurry with unlocking the door, Riddick started attacking the back of her neck while his arms snaked around her waist, she hissed,

"You're not helping the matter babe." Nadia finally getting the door unlocked. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him in, slamming the door, Riddick thought she had some strength to be jerking him inside,

_~ Cant judge a book by its sweet, sexy cover it seems. ~ _he thought to himself, it was a turn on that this slip of a woman had strength inside her small frame. His thoughts were interrupted as he found himself being slammed against a locked door.

"Oh fuck yeah." Nadia hissed, he could feel her shaking from the anticipation, she grabbed his shirt and couldn't get it off fast enough, Riddick ripped it off, and threw it in the floor, he dove for her lips. She kissed him feverishly, then shoved him against the door again and plastered herself to him as if she were glue. He nipped her neck as his hands expertly untied the two ties in the back holding the halter top on. When it dropped he stared, her torso was taunt with very pronounce muscles,

"You're a furyan." Riddick seeing the handprint glow,

"So it was you I felt." Nadia putting her hand in the handprint glowing on his chest. Their breath came out ragged,

"Wow." Nadia touching her swollen lips,

"I don't disappoint hon." Riddick smirked his crooked little smirk,

"Never imagined it could be so much better than a dream." Nadia drinking him in like he was best wine she had ever had, savoring the taste while she could, before this man found out who she was, then he would see her as that little kid that he saved so many moons ago. Her fingers ran over his built chest and abs, she bit her lip,

"Its like… molten lava." Nadia whispered. Riddick was feeling the same thing, she just put a word to the feeling he couldn't begin to describe, he crushed her lips to his, neither of them slowing down. Nadia wrapped her legs around his hips.

"Woman, we are going to set fire to your place if we keep going." Riddick growled,

"I don't care, you have got to lose the pants." Nadia standing down, he smirked, as he glanced at her figure, her hair tussled, her addicting lips swollen, nipping marks on her neck, and topless, he lost the boots in a hurry, she slipped her flats off, then worked on her belt as she kissed on his shoulders and chest, finally he had the pants off, she had gotten her skirt off, all that was left was a black pair of silk panties and her hidden knifes, strapped to the inside of her upper thighs in sheaths. Riddick chuckled,

"My kind of woman." Riddick grinning big,

"A girl has to have protection." Nadia shrugged, he finished undressing her, laying her knives on the end table next to the door.

"Fuck, you are a flame and I am a moth." Riddick growled, he shoved her against the door as she wrapped her legs around him again,

"You are soaked." Riddick whined out,

"And you are huge." Nadia's arm tensed around his neck,

"You okay?" Riddick holding her against the door,

"Yeah, it was just unexpected, a good surprise." Nadia giving him a bright smile,

"You sure?" Riddick asked. Nadia rolled her eyes, she grabbed a handful of his long hair and pull roughly,

"Fuck me now!" Nadia hissed in his ear, he didn't need to be told twice, again he shoved her against the door and went at it as he kissed her roughly. Nadia moaned loudly, not ashamed of who she was fucking senseless, she sunk her teeth into his shoulder, Riddick growled and bit her equally hard in the same area.

"Yes babe, ugh, more!" Nadia demanded, her fist tightened even more in his hair, he moved from the door to the coffee table, laying her down,

"You're so fucking perfect." Riddick growled as he slowly pumped in and out of her tight and soak pussy.

"No slow, you trying to kill me? More and faster." Nadia scratching his arms with her nails in desperation,

"I wanna enjoy this, woman!" Riddick growled, she laughed,

"Don't tell me you're only good for one round?" Nadia panted out,

"Didn't think you were willing for an all nighter," Riddick leaning down and kissing her taunted stomach. Nadia rolled her eyes,

"Come on, time is wasting." Nadia hissed out,

"Yes ma'am." Riddick loving being commanded by this tigress, he started pumping faster and harder.

"Yes, more!" Nadia feeling her muscles contracting, she bit into her lip, making it bleed, he paused as he leaned down and took her bleeding lip into his mouth to taste her blood, he grunted, it was so sweet, driving him to tear away from her lips and moving her to the floor. She flipped them over, now she was on top. She ran her nails down his chest leaving thin lines of beaded blood down his chest, she lean over and lapped up the blood, closing her eyes, and savoring it,

"Mine." Nadia growled out as she opened her eyes with hunger swirling in them. She started riding him, she brought his hands up to her breast, he started to knead them as he growled, he sat up, both large hands splayed onto her back as he nipped and licked on her breasts. She threw her head back arching her back as she slammed herself onto his enlarged member, driving him deeper inside, god he loved this woman, she was an animal and loved it rough.

He felt her walls tighten around him, he hissed, as he pushed her over the edge and she came crashing on top of him, with her release, he howled his own release. He sat up and held her tightly to his chest as his member throb out his seed into her womb, he kissed hers shoulders, taking a moment to catch his breath, his large hand held the side of her neck and peppered the other side of her neck with kisses and nips.

"Where the hell have you been all my life?" Riddick chuckled,

"Good huh?" Nadia laughing,

"And this your first time?" Riddick asked,

"Well technically, the first willing time." Nadia seriously, he stared at her, he knew she mean rape.

"It was a long time ago, so don't look at me like that, besides, I took care of him." Nadia explained,

"As a kid?" Riddick asked,

"Yeah, and you get no more info on that cause you aren't ruining a perfectly good night for me." Nadia slapped him in the arm. He thought about her as a kid and wondered who would have done something so nasty to her, sure he was a con but he never laid a hand on a kid, women, if they were mercs coming for his ass and were going to be a problem sure, but no kids.

"I said stop it damn it. Its only one a.m. we still have all morning." Nadia punching him in the arm.

"You are going to spoil me." Riddick getting to his feet with her wrapped tightly around his waist,

"Where's your room?" Riddick asked,

"Top of the stairs, end of the hall." Nadia wrapping her arms around his neck,

"This time we gonna do it with our contacts out." Riddick seriously,

"I have an extra contact case in the bathroom for ya." Nadia seriously, they stopped by the bathroom, Nadia adjusted the light as they took their contacts out. Mercury eyes swirling with want, desire, need and passion,

"Beautiful." they said at the same time, a small giggle escaped her prefect mouth, slowly with his ape like arms he grabbed her perfect ass and she wrapped a leg around his hips as she wrapped the other leg around.

"This time we go slow, and no complaining about going slow." Riddick demanded,

"Yes sir." Nadia saluting him, he smirked as they made it to her bedroom.


	11. No running away

Riddick woke to another heart beating next to him, he had gotten the best sleep in his life. Slowly his eyes opened, wanting to make sure that there wasn't any kind of light that would blind him. Darkness, heavy curtains blocked out the sun's rays, he sat up in the bed, rubbing his neck as he thought about his night with this new animal he had come across, a smile slowly formed on his lips, he had no plans now.

His last thoughts before this woman just popped out of the blue was to turn himself over to the first merc that he saw, but he couldn't play house with this woman, it wasn't him. He had never been given the chance to really find out who he was and what he wanted from life. This was definitely a new territory for him, he had no one tailing him, he had gotten rid of the necros, but sleeping with this woman definitely didn't fix his problem, Jack was still dead, and she was dead because she had saved him, so where did that leave him?

Back where he started just with an absolute best night of his life? He needed coffee before his thoughts went down this road. He grabbed the extra sheet from the bed that Nadia wasn't wrapped up in and got up, he wrapped the sheet around his hips and went to put in his contacts. From the bathroom he went to the kitchen and found the coffee maker, he started making coffee.

He then went searching for his clothes, he chuckled as he walked through to the living room, they had trashed the place, broken lamp, couch pillows in the floor, everything that had been on the coffee table swept into the floor.

"One hellva night." Riddick mumbled, he found his boxers and threw them on, suddenly he felt a pinch in his sweet spot, fourth lumbar down, the abdominal aorta,

"What a gusher. You listen good Riddick. Your done with leaving me behind." Nadia digging the knife in until a small bead of blood came out,

"Don't know what you're talking about, the name's…" Riddick being interrupted,

"Cut the shit, dick. Tell me, where do I get eyes like that?" Nadia whispered seductively, his hair on his neck stood on end,

"You've gotta… fuck, who the fuck are you?" Riddick growled, this information pissed him off, only one person ever asked him something like that, and she was worm food. He snapped around and now had her own blade against her neck,

"Let me tell ya a little something, you ain't that kid I saved. The kid I saved, died for my sorry ass and its not vey nice to play on something like that." Riddick roared out, so pissed that he cut into her neck a little, drawing blood, but she still didn't smell of fear.

"How could I be dead when I am right where you left me. Take a look, notice the layout of the house? A lot of damage was done when the necros hit, but I rebuilt it, just the way Imam had it. I still have the claw necklace you made, though I turned it into something more useful. It's the shiv your holding in your hand right now." Nadia explained angrily, he glanced at the shiv, he found it was the claw he had given to her. He stared her down then took a glance around the room, it was similar, but he wasn't letting her go,

"No! I saw you die!" Riddick bellowed.

"Are you mad that I'm alive, or that you screwed the little girl you saved long ago just to try to kill her memory that threatens to eat you from the inside out?" Nadia giving him a grin, this couldn't be happening, how would she know that her memory would do that to him?

"Who did I kill for you? One person, who was it?" Riddick growled out, the claw shiv biting into her neck a little more,

"Johns. You found out I was on my period when we were trying to get the cells back, you said it was death row with the girl bleeding. Fry wasn't bleeding, I had pretended to be a boy. I thought you were so cool, I shaved my head and wore goggles. That's when you blew my cover and told everyone else I was girl. You told me not to cry for John's but you had no idea why I was crying.

I was crying because I didn't think I mattered that much to you. Just thought you saw a dumb kid playing dress up. That's when I knew you cared, I mattered, I was worth killing for. Fuck you Riddick if you think you can leave me alone again. I wont fuckin' let ya." Nadia's eyes glossed over with tears. His hand slowly pulled away from her throat, he stared at those green eyes, and just dropped to his knees, her eyes widened, she freaked a little, she had brought him to his knees.

"I saw… you died… I couldn't…" Riddick leaning his forehead against her legs. Nadia closed her eyes, tears ran down her face, it crushed her to see him so defeated. Her fingers touched his naked shoulders,

"I'm here Riddick, I'm right here." Nadia dropping to her knees, he opened his eyes, she had tears running down her face. Riddick petted her bedhead hair with such a painful expression on his face.

"The holy man said you were in a slam." Riddick couldn't understand how she was alive,

"I was, just not locked up, I was doing some scouting around, looking for you, almost got caught so I came back. Was trying to figure out a new plan on my flight back. I had no idea the necros had been taking over everything. I had my own dock station back then, and the station had no idea that the necros were even here. They let me dock, I kept to the shadows on my way home.

That's when I was attacked, all I remember was it was pouring rain, storming. I woke up blinded, cut up pretty bad." Nadia seriously. By the way she sounded, she had to have been in a coma,

"How long Jack?" Riddick whispered, Nadia hesitated,

"Three months. When I woke up I had Damien standing by my side. He got me the best care, told him he saved my life, he didn't see it that way, he said I saved myself. He said that I had woken up and dragged myself out to the open that he found me leaning against a crumbling wall, said if I hadn't done it they would have never found me in time." Nadia whispered as she started to shake.

"But the scars…" Riddick being interrupted,

"The place Damien took me to did skin grafts. My eyes, my chest, stomach, I have the photos in a box, I needed to keep them, to remind me how far I have come, and why I held strong." Nadia softly.

"I stayed for you." Nadia staring him straight in the eyes, he touched her hair, moved his hand to her cheek,

_~ She will die on you, she will give her life for you again and there wont be any coming back. ~_ his thoughts turning in on him, she started nuzzling his hand, but his thoughts got the better of him,

"No, I cant… I wont." Riddick getting up and backing away,

"Riddick, stop. You sit your ass down or I will make you!" Nadia shouted,

"You don't get it Jack, you are alive, breathing, standing here before me. It was because of me I thought you were dead. You gave up your life for mine. I can't take that chance again, I won't!" Riddick roared out, as he was walking to the door.

Nadia sucked in air and growled, she ran quietly, she ran up his back and kicked him hard in the head, with the force she kicked him with his head flew forward and smashed into the door, Nadia grabbed the nearby handcuffs and cuffed his hands together tightly so he couldn't dislocate his thumbs and slide them off.

"You don't get to do this again! I'm not a stupid little kid for you to dump off anymore. I have the skills now to help you." Nadia straddling his back in only a bra and panty set.

"I cant ever feel like that again Jack. Did you know I thought about turning my ass in? Fry died for my ass back on that planet, then I saw the person I had saved once get thrown into an ugly ass decoration that speared her through the gut!" Riddick grumbled.

"Don't you realize, I wasn't exactly in perfect health at the time and I wasn't with you? I did die Riddick, several times when Damien got me to the hospital. I will prove to you that I am fit, willing, and able to run with you now." Nadia explained,

"Okay, well I will be the judge of that, take the cuffs off now Jack." Riddick nodded,

"Can't do that, I cant trust you won't run out on me, and its Nadia. No one knows I'm Jack, Jack died with the holy man and Ziza and his wife. I am her cousin that was visiting at the time." Nadia showing him her new ident card.

"I want to see the photos Jack." Riddick growled, Nadia felt a tremor go all the way through to her bones,

"I'll give you the box, but I can't look at them again, not now." Nadia whispered, she got off of him, and walked him upstairs to the bedroom and turned the light on, he sat on the bed, she got down on her knees and grabbed the box from under the bed, and sat it beside him. She uncuffed one wrist and cuffed him to the nearby bedpost. She walked over and leaned against the doorframe of the room and slid down to the floor, Riddick glanced at her mood, she looked numb, she spaced out, he looked down at the box, afraid to look inside.

Slowly he brought it into his lap and pulled the top off, there were a handful of photos, he started to shake, slowly he brought them out of the box and into the light. The first photo was of her eyes, looked like some kind of acid was poured onto her eyes, it was burnt from temple to temple, he swallowed hard. The next photo was of her chest and torso, she was cut up so bad one of her breasts was barely attached, he wanted to vomit, this was the little kid who he dropped off with the holy man to keep her safe, his eyes raked over the photo more, her abdomen had a thick line cut across it. Riddick dropped the box and photos and fell to his knees in the floor dry heaving,

"Fuck Riddick!" Nadia uncuffing his wrist before he could break it, she turned her back against the box and the rest of the photos. She held him around the waist,

"You wanted to see." Nadia softly as she rubbed his back,

"Jack, I…" Riddick having no words for her, he couldn't say anything, he thought he was protecting her from the people that was coming for him, that would always be coming for him.

"Riddick I survived. You needed to see, and you need to see them all. It will prove if I can survive that, I definitely can survive a merc. I don't know who done this. I don't think it was those necros, but I don't think it was mercs either, they wouldn't have done this kind of stuff until they had some information. Torture then kill or slave out, that's their code that they live by." Nadia seriously. Riddick's forehead touched hers,

"I left you to protect you, thought I was giving you a new life, a good family." Riddick whispered,

"And it was until that point, but I needed you back, guess I felt danger coming and I couldn't stand up and take that kind of hit without ya, but I survived. I held onto hope I would see you again and I vowed that once you came back that I would sink my teeth in and not ever let you go again." Nadia putting her hands on his cheeks.

"Are you ready to see the rest?" Nadia asked, Riddick nodded, he needed to see, to walk through her shoes, to know what she actually fought to live for him. He turned around, and started gathering the photos up, as she went to her closet to find a pair of Kevlar cargo pants, she threw them on and pulled a pair of the same Kevlar cargos for Riddick and threw them on the bed.

Riddick saw a photo of her back, it was cut but not quiet as bad as her front was,

"Jack, I don't know if its right to stay with you, but I'm staying." Riddick seriously, he couldn't let this happen to her again but he didn't know if he could stop her from dying for him.

"Glad you finally came to your senses. Get dressed, I'll show you what I'm packing nowdays." Nadia standing in a dark blue sleeveless Kevlar vest and cargos. Riddick saw the clothes she had laid out for him,

"Fancy, how did you get these?" Riddick feeling the Kevlar, it felt like top quality stuff, he got dressed, surprised that it all fit.

"One of my many skills." Nadia smirked.


	12. perfected skillls

Riddick and Nadia had coffee then she took him down into the basement, it looked a little like a sewer. There was a complex system of tunnels branching off of one another going three different ways. An arsenal of guns and ammo lined the tunnel walls, small handguns and shivs to submachine guns to rocket launchers and larger knives, one knife was rounded blade, so when thrown it would cut anything down in its path, kind of like a frisbee.

"How the hell do you have this kind of fire power?" Riddick impressed with the fire power she had lining the walls, Riddick took an interest in the frisbee shaped blade,

"That is my favorite piece." Nadia smirked,

"Just wait big evil, this is just the beginning. These are my escape routes, they lead in three different directions, it took me forever to figure out how to go about it blind, and then once my shined eyes came in I got lost a couple times, but I got marks on the walls now. This one will take you out of town, and in any tunnel you can arm up on the way through.

This one will lead to Damien's place, and the other one is very special. It leads to my ship, if I have mercs on my ass I can blow them to hell and back, the walls are packed with very special fireworks, just a flip of a switch and no more mercs." Nadia explained as they walked through the tunnel that led to Damien's place.

**At the club **

"What are we doing here Jack?" Riddick asked,

"Damien feeds me breakfast but we are here for you to watch. Figured you wouldn't let me pull my moves on you so, the only other person to help in this kind of situation is…" Nadia standing by Damien,

"An ex-military man." Damien speaking up.

"Wait…he knows…about…" Riddick pointing to himself,

"Imam and his whole family died. I would have died if he hadn't found me and got me help. He is the reason I can protect myself now. I needed someone to fall against, and being blind, he helped me see when I couldn't." Nadia seriously. They were standing by the bar in the club,

"Trust me Byron, I'm not going to come between two furyan soulmates." Damien smiling a little, Riddick made as if he had heard the comment, still upset that his Jack had told this guy who he was.

"Alright, so come on, we'll go back to the basement, can't have us breakin' shit in the club." Damien leading the way. Riddick followed them down to the basement and sat on the stairs out of the way while Damien and Nadia loosened up. When they started their moves, Riddick watched her, it seemed as if she was pay attention to Damien's muscles contracting to predict his movements, which she blocked every single time.

Most of the moves she threw were what Riddick would imagine were moves from the military training that Damien had taught her, she was good with matching Damien's punches and kicks. She finally got the drop on Damien, seeing her opening she took it and flipped him on his back and had a blade shoot from her boot heel and lay against Damien's throat.

"I yield." Damien shouted. Riddick smirked, she gave him a hand up,

"Okay breakfast now?" Damien asked,

"Sure, if Byron's seen enough?" Nadia asked.

"Pretty good, fight me, with contacts out and with the rattan eskrima sticks." Riddick grabbing a pair of rattan eskrimas as Jack looked at Damien, she took her contacts out and put them in her case.

"Alright you're on." Nadia grabbing the pair of rattan eskrima and Damien cutting the lights off.

"Afraid to leave your DNA behind?" Nadia asked,

"Just don't want you blood on my hands." Riddick growled as he took his first quick attack on her, aiming for her left arm, she blocked. She made a strike to his left side towards his ribs, he blocked. They went through all 12 striking techniques of Arnis pretty fast, but it didn't take them long to start they started to pull dirty tricks. Riddick threw a foot out to catch her knees, she twirled away and got him in the side of the back with her elbow.

He growled, their movements became quicker, their rattan eskrima slapping against the opposing rattan eskrima. Riddick slapped Nadia's fingers and that was it, Nadia hissed, she knew right where she was in the basement, she had trained with Damien down there a lot. She kicked off the wall and gave him a roundhouse kick to the head and he was down. Nadia held her rattan eskrima against his neck,

"Do you yield?" Nadia hissed in the dark, she tightened the stick against his neck,

"Yeah, I yield." Riddick grumbled, she let him go but kept her guard up in case he pulled something on her, slowly she gave him room, her hand on her own shiv, he turned and kicked her legs out, she fell to her back. His shiv at her throat,

"What are ya gonna do now?" Riddick asked,

"Could ask you the same." Nadia staring him down, he felt a tapping on the inside of his upper thigh, close to his boys, it was her shiv.

"Good." Riddick smirked, he got up and helped Nadia up,

"You got some strength." Riddick nodded,

"If you really wanna go at her with a shiv, you could use our practice knives." Damien throwing him a rubber knife and giving Nadia one. Riddick took a moment to feel the weight of the rubber knife, felt almost real. Nadia caught him off guard already, but Riddick turned around and they started playing through a knife fight. Their arms moved so fast that it was hard to determine what kind of combination techniques they were using, but he noticed he wasn't feeling the rubber knife blade itself, he was feeling the butt of the knife.

Nadia was fighting with the wrong end of the knife, but the times she had gotten him with the blade, they had been is major areas of an artery. After thirty minutes of hard core practice Riddick had been caught in the back at the abdominal aorta.

"Good." Riddick tapping her on the arm, they gave Damien his practice knives back, he walked over to the table and put in his contacts,

"And I've got stealth. The strength I built up came from training and building this town back." Nadia whispered in his ear, a tingle ran down Riddick's back, he hadn't even heard her move.

"As in hammer and nails?" Riddick asked,

"Carried roofing, boards, hammered and nailed, though it was a bit hard doing it blind. Also paid for a good bit of it. Then Serge had me boxing, and other training, it was a year later that my eyes came in." Nadia explained,

"What do you mean?" Riddick confused,

"You didn't have your eyes shined, you were born with them. I guess in females they turn shined at a certain age. A bit weird really, thought I was going crazy when I could slowly start picking out things in the dark." Nadia shrugged, his mind went back to the 'furyan soulmate' as Damien had called them, he wasn't really to see Nadia like that, he could hardly even wrap his mind around this chick being the little kid he had saved so long ago.

He knew this girl was Jack, she smelt like Jack and his senses had never been wrong but he had to wrap his head around the fact that he had fucked jack like an animal half the night and the other half of the morning he had took his time and enjoyed every inch of her. None of it was bad, it was intense, his body and hers fit so tightly perfect like a puzzle piece, no, this was bad, very bad.

"Hey B! Stop thinking too much and have a beer and a sandwich!" Nadia slugging him in the arm with her fingers that he had slapped with the rattan eskrima,

"You gonna finish breakin' those fingers Jack?" Riddick growled out,

"Must have been some welcome back last night to sleep in like this. Hey man might wanna catch that bit of drool you got going on there." Damien pointing to Riddick's chin. Riddick subconsciously licked his lips. He gave Damien a deep rumble in his chest,

"Easy Byron, you do know no one in here in this room is actually afraid of your brooding mood, sit and eat." Nadia kicking a chair out for him to sit down. He sat down and Damien gave him a beer, Riddick knocked the cap off using the edge of the table.

"So, you got muscles, you can see in the dark, what else you got kid?" Riddick taking a chug of beer, this time Nadia growled, before he could catch her leg she kicked the leg of Riddick's chair breaking it. Riddick caught himself before he could fall,

"What the fuck Jack?" Riddick asked, she stood up and got in his face.

"Do not call me a kid." Nadia growled again,

"Noted." Riddick went to lean against the sink,

"So…your skills?" Riddick taking a bite of his sandwich,

"I can hack, I have three different accounts, which is how I paid for the city to be built back. I can make you dead so you won't ever have to run again, my ship is untraceable and impenetrable. Nothing gets in and nothing gets out. Best med bay on a ship, of course with the smaller shit I can fix myself and if anyone does come looking, I have something to take care of that too." Nadia seriously. Damien nodded, Riddick glanced at Damien,

"So, this guy the replacement you found? No offense Sergeant." Riddick asked,

"Damn it Riddick!" You listen up, and listen good, you saved me from the hammerheads, that's great. You didn't need some kid slowing you down as you ran and hid. I got that. But your plan failed, yeah, a few years were great, but the only skills I picked up were sewing and hackin', no skills to actually find you or to save Imam. But I didn't run and hide, I tried to save the one person you dumped me off on.

I tried and I failed! If you don't want me now then go, crawl back in the hole or cave or wherever you were hiding." Nadia growled out, Riddick sucked his lips in, he couldn't hold back, he grabbed her by the throat with one hand, and threw her onto the table as Damien picked up his beer and sandwich and let them at it. Nadia didn't struggle, she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.

"You fuckin' listen to me Jack. You were a kid, wasn't going to have your blood on my hands. You were untrained, a kid, already running from someone. I cared Jack, I cared enough to try to give you a good family, at least a good father figure. You were supposed to forget me and have a life, not running from one!" Riddick bellowed out.

"I could never forget you, you saved our asses, and you killed Johns cause he wanted to use a kid for bait for those hammerheads." Nadia struggled to speak with his huge hand closing off her throat. Riddick slowly backed off, he sat down hard into the chair Nadia had used, slowly she sat up.

"You have never been a monster to me, you saved me from them, Johns, the hammerheads, those were the real monsters, never you." Nadia leaning her forehead against his as she sat on the edge of the table, her legs spread open as Riddick sat in the middle of them in a chair.

"I'm here big guy, and I'm not running from you, ever." Nadia holding his cheeks.

"Maybe you should be running." Riddick grumbled.

"We are in this together now." Nadia seriously.

"Hey why don't you guys go take it somewhere else besides my kitchen table." Damien taking a swig of his beer.

"Come on, I'll take ya to my ship." Nadia getting off of the table and leading Riddick back through the tunnels to the ship.

**At the ship **

"So, this is my baby." Nadia explained as she let him take a look.

"You're running shipments now?" Riddick asked as he looked at the huge and empty cargo hold,

"Off and on yeah." Nadia shrugged,

"Listen, I …" Riddick started,

"We are good Riddick, I'm sorry too. Just…don't leave me behind this time." Nadia afraid she would wake up and him be gone and disappear again.

"Don't think I could if I even wanted to." Riddick staring her down, he moved past her and up into the main floors on the ship. Nadia watched him go, she gave a half smile, torn between him really being on her ship and him being so defeated because he thought she was dead. She followed after him, he was quiet,

"This baby has three beds, one large bath, and enough kitchen space." Nadia listing the amenities. He was currently in the med bay,

"It's an AI system." Nadia explained, he found a case.

"What's in the case?" Riddick asked,

"In that one, they are serums, a shot, well several of them. Simply pull one out if you have mercs trying to get on the ship and shoot it into your neck before they see you and you can hide in plain sight. They will see someone different and if you look in the mirror you will see someone different but to a true furyan, I will see you, who you truly are. Pretty much plastic surgery, only in a liquid and without going under the knife. One shot will last 12 hours." Nadia seriously,

"And the side effects?" Riddick raising a brow,

"No lasting side effects but you'll crash once it wears off." Nadia seriously.

"How the hell do you have this?" Riddick asked,

"I asked Serge if he knew anything like it and he got his hands on some." Nadia shrugged.

"And this other case?" Riddick asked,

"Your 'get out of slam free' pass. Whenever you want me to do it." Nadia explained,

"Start it now." Riddick commanded, Nadia turned on the AI system, she sat down at a laptop as she opened the case that was voice activated. She got a slip of cotton, like the ones to check blood for a diabetic person, out of the case and grabbed a handheld machine and came over to Riddick,

"Need your blood so you'll be covered by DNA as well as new ID cards." Nadia explained, he hesitated, but placed his finger on the tablet and a tiny needle pricked his finger, a small amount of blood wetted the cotton. Nadia took it and went back to the laptop and began her work,

"Gonna have to strip and lay down on the table. This is for a health record for your new IDs." Nadia seriously. Riddick stripped down and laid on the table,

"Stay still as the AI scans." Nadia explained, he laid perfectly still.

"Scan complete." the AI system chirped,

"Alright, you can put your clothes back on." Nadia typing away. Riddick got the cargos on, he was putting his vest on as he stood behind her and watched her work with his arms crossing his chest. With her computer skills he was aroused, she was smart, she had compassion for her planet that had been ripped apart by those Necros, and she cared enough about him to run with him and to even get him out of mercs hands for good. She was in love with him, how could she not be. She had gone to slams to try tracking him down, she had prepared herself to be able and willing to run with him.

"Why did you come back?" Nadia asked,

"What?" Riddick being brought back to reality,

"You were for sure I had died, why did you come back if you thought I was dead?" Nadia asked.

"Didn't know I was landing on New Mecca. Needed to drown the woman with green eyes that was getting her rocks off by mind fucking me even when I was awake. I must have subconsciously put the coordinates in." Riddick seriously.

"What name do you want?" Nadia asked, with his description of how well he was taking her death she knew she had left some sort of an impact on him as well.

"Byron Richardson." Riddick giving her his full name.

"Its nice to know I was missed." Nadia mumbled as she typed in his name and printed out the IDs and saved all the information, he gave her a crooked smile.

"We need to get things you wanna keep from your ship." Nadia giving him his hard-plastic cards, he stared at the cards. These were official IDs with his birthplace being New Mecca.

"I put your job down as a loader for my shipping company." Nadia explained.

"Hey Jack?" Riddick getting her attention, she turned her head to the side,

"Thanks Jack." Riddick holding the cards up.

"I didn't give you those just to up and leave on me again" Nadia seriously,

"Not going to leave you again, kid." Riddick explained, mumbling the word 'kid' underneath his breath. He went and checked out the rest of the ship. The cockpit had more than just the standard switches and toggles, Nadia had a big smile on her face, like she held a secret.

"Yeah, I pulled out all the bells and whistles for this puppy. She's got an untraceable software system, a invisible shield which will hide the whole ship, she's got lock on target missiles, along with all the other standard shit." Nadia explained.

"Could come in handy." Riddick letting out a chuckle,

"Oh, it does, trust me on that one. Been through an asteroid field and those missiles lock on and don't let go." Nadia sitting down in the cockpit, Riddick sat down in the pilot's chair, Nadia was already in the co-pilots chair, she leaned her head back, and glanced over at Riddick,

"Either way, I'm glad you came back." Nadia softly, he stared at her,

"Glad you're still around to cause me trouble." Riddick gripping her shoulder.


End file.
